Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-02
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. Others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
The line graph illustrates information about the participants in five different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia, between 2000 and 2020.
Overall, it is evident that table tennis and musical performances showed an upward trend, while amateur dramatics declined over the period. In addition, the film club remained the highest figure for the most of the period, while musical performances recorded the lowest number. The most noticeable change was that table tennis overtook amateur dramatics in 2015.
At the beginning of the period, the figure for table tennis stood at almost 18. It then rose gradually to 20. Between 2005 and 2010, it remained stable at 20. By the end of the period, it had climbed sharply to a peak of 54. Similarly, musical performances started at zero in 2005, before rising to more than 10. However, unlike table tennis, it experienced a more gradual increase, reaching almost 18 by 2020.
Regarding amateur dramatics, its figure was approximately 25 in 2000. Between 2000 and 2005, it rose steadily to almost 28, before falling dramatically to around 8 in 2020. Meanwhile, martial arts followed a different pattern. It showed some fluctuations but remained relatively stable at around 35 over the same period. The film club, on the other hand, stood at more than 60 in 2000, then fell gradually to 60 in 2010 before rising slowly to nearly 67 by 2020.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 1.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0
The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks for a discussion on the merits of competition versus cooperation in work, school, and daily life. However, the student has written a report describing a line graph about social centre activities. Because the response does not address the task prompt at all, it fails to meet the requirements for Task Achievement. Additionally, the response is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which further impacts the score. To improve, it is essential to carefully read the prompt and ensure the essay directly answers the specific question asked rather than describing data.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
Despite being off-topic, the text itself is well-structured. It uses clear paragraphing, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'However', 'Meanwhile', and 'on the other hand' are used effectively to link ideas and guide the reader. The progression of information is logical, moving from general trends to specific details. If the content had been relevant to the prompt, this would have been a strong performance in terms of organization and flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is appropriate for a data description task. The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe trends, such as 'upward trend', 'remained stable', 'climbed sharply', and 'fluctuations'. The word choice is generally precise and fits the context of describing a graph. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While the vocabulary is not highly sophisticated, it is accurate and functional for the task of reporting data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The response displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is accurate use of past tense verbs to describe historical data, such as 'stood', 'rose', and 'fell'. Punctuation is generally correct, and the sentences are clear and easy to follow. While the grammatical range is not exceptionally wide, the control is consistent, and there are very few errors. The student demonstrates a solid grasp of English grammar, which allows for clear communication throughout the text.
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